25 of the best fun, wearable and fashionable shoes

They say fairy tales can leave a lasting impression on children. For me it was Cinderella. There’s that poor girl who got pushed around. His only friends the literal rodents in his house. She finally receives an invitation to the the hottest evening in town, get all dolled up, then LOSE her amazing heels (borrowed, no less) after just one use! The emotional hangover must have been real, and I was as relieved as she was to have them back. (Side note: doesn’t shoe size exist in fairy tales?) This proved to me that the right pair of shoes can really change your life. (And a glass shoe? How fancy is that this?)

Needless to say, I’ve been a shoe girl ever since. Every time we went on a family vacation, my dad would grumble and say, “Do you really need that many shoes?” We were only gone for a week,” to which my mother and I replied, “Exactly! A lot could happen in a week. What if we got stuck without the right shoes? It was silly, and we were nothing if not practical.

It has practically evolved since then. I still love a sky-high heel once in a while, but after a few hard-learned lessons (I almost destroyed my ankle on a cobblestone in Paris, for one), I seek function over pleasure. Do not mistake yourself; I’m not totally above buying eye-catching shoes; it’s just that they should be as soft on my soles as the ones I’ve listed below.